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Spain is out of time / España está desfasadaEnglish and Spanish below. En inglés y en español abajo.Marathon working days; late lunches and dinners compared to the rest of Europe; less time for personal life, rest and recreation; family-work imbalances... these longstanding aspects of Spanish...

Yeah, you would think by now they would be interested in being in sync with their European neighbours. Long working day? I'll bet it's still way shorter and more relaxed than the 10-12 hours put in by North Americans every day. Technically we are expected to work eight hours and take a half hour lunch, but most salaried employees work much longer and make lunch an option. And God help you if you took a lunch break came back fifteen minutes late!

I did not know this about Spain's time zone. Very interesting. The craziness of WWII lives on in little ways like this. I watched a documentary where a Greek island community still have very harsh feelings towards Germany because of the massacres that occurred on the island during the occupation. I've learned so much about other countries, especially on beBee. Fascinating.

Thank you @Javier beBee for bringing this interesting buzz to us in both English and Spanish! In my high school years, we were required to take a 'foreign language' class. In my choice to study Spanish, I learned some (quite little in fact) of Spain's history and culture. From that, I had a very romanticized idea of your beautify country - with its flamenco guitar and dance, long lunches and mid-day rest and late suppers. Is any of this true in modern-day Spain?

Thank you @Javier beBee for sharing your excellent insight. I moved to Spain since almost two years and Spaniards are an interesting paradox. They're spontaneous but love routine, they're deeply traditional and yet socially liberal, and they can't seem to decide whether Spain is paradise on Earth or some kind of hell designed to test them. That's Why I enjoy to live in Spain !